"One of the greatest to ever do it."
Bay Area-rapparen Gift of Gab, som också var ena halvan av duon Blackalicious, har gått bort. Rapparen bakom den bland annat tungtvistande “Alphabet Aerobics” blev 50 år gammal och hans död annonserades av hans crew Quannum via sociala medier under fredagen.
“It is with heavy hearts and great sadness that we announce the passing of our dear brother, Timothy J. Parker a.k.a. The Gift of Gab. Tim peacefully departed this earth to be with our ancestors on Friday, June 18, 2021. He is survived by two brothers, one sister, many nieces and nephews, countless friends, and fans across the globe. We ask that the family’s privacy is respected as we mourn the tremendous loss of our dear brother”, skrev man då.
Gab var en omtyckt rappare, inte bara i San Fransisco eller inom hiphopvärlden. Han hann släppa fyra album tillsammans med gymnasievännen och kollegan Chief Xcel som Blackalicious – “Nia” (1999), “Blazing Arrow” (2002), “The Craft” (2005) och “Imani Vol. 1” (2015) – samt tre soloalbum, projekt med Quannum MC’s och Mighty Underdogs och dussintals gästverser.
“He was one of the most positive human beings I have ever known and always looking toward the future. He was endlessly brimming with new ideas, philosophical perspectives, and thoughts about the future. He was always ready to learn, grow and engage in a deep conversation about things he was less familiar with. A simple conversation with him about nearly anything could take you places you would never have expected”, säger rapparens manager Brian Ross i ett pressutskick.
Han diagnosticerades med njursvikt 2014 och gick på dialys flera gånger i veckan innan han till slut kunde genomföra en njurtransplantation i samband med en avslutande spelning med Blackalicious i januari 2020. Det är dock oklart exakt vad som orsakade hans död.
“Our brother was an MCs’ MC who dedicated his life to his craft. One of the greatest to ever do it. He’s the most prolific person I’ve ever known. He was all about pushing the boundaries of his art form in the most authentic way possible. He truly believed in the healing power of music. He viewed himself as a vessel used by a higher power whose purpose was to give positive contributions to humanity through Rhyme”, säger kollegan och vännen Chief Xcel (Xavier Mosley).
Rapparens bolag, Reybee Inc, skriver i ett pressmeddelande att Gift of Gab lämnar runt 100 låtar för framtida Blackalicious-släpp, där vissa redan var planerade för kommande releaser.
Foto: Pressbild
